Refrigerator



C. O. WILLIAMS March 29, 1927.

REFRIGERATOR Filed May 17 1926 OQOOOO Patented Mar. 29, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,622,478 PATENT OFFICE.

CECIL O. WILLIAMS, OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA.

REFRIGERATOR.

Application filed May 17, 1926. Serial No. 109,617.

" ing valves or doors which, when opened, ad-

mit the cold air into said chambers and, when closed, prevent the air from having access thereto, whereby those chambers which do not contain perishable foods, do not receive the refrigerated air, thus rendering the refrigerator economical to 0p erate because the cold air flowing from the refrigerant chamber is only used in those food chambers where foods are being kept. Means are provided for the respective refrigerating chambers by which the controlling valves or doors which admit or shut off the cold air are opened or closed by the weight of the food contained within the chamber. Consequently, when food is introduced into a given chamber, such action automatically opens the valves or doors for said chamber to admit the cold air thereinto and when the articles are removed from that chamber, the doors or valves automatically close to cut off the supply of cold air to the chamber.

The invention also contemplates the provision of special bins or compartments for such articles of food as potatoes, tomatoes, or the like, provision being made for keeping vegetables of that character at the proper temperature but without necessitating the control of the cold air in respect thereto as, in my refrigerator, the last named compartments are continuously subject to the cooling effect of air circulating along a wall or walls of said compartments. The compartments last named are arranged so that the potatoes, etc., will automatically gravitate or feed therethrough when a suitable door is opened and will then pass onto a platform in convenient position to be picked up by the clerk in such quantit as may be desired to satisfy the needs 0' the purchaser. The bottoms of the last named compartments and preferably the fronts thereof as well as the platforms onto which the vegetables pass when being dispensed, are provided with openings or perforations to per- I mit dirt to fall through. Beneath the compartments are drawers which catch the dirt and permit the accumulations to be readily emptied when necessary.

The first named compartments are pref erably provided in the upper part of the refrigerator and the last named in the lower part thereof, the cold air duct from the refrigerant chamber passing between the bottoms of the upper compartments and the tops of the lower compartments, branches being provided for conducting the air into the upper compartments when the doors or valves thereof are open.

My refrigerator makes provision for the keeping of foods or various means such as are sold in a grocery or delicatessen store in a sanitary and economical manner. I have found that by providing the cut-off doors or valves for the upper chambers and thus utilizing the cold air only where it is needed, a very material saving in ice is effected.

One embodiment of the invention is set forth hereinafter and the novel features thereof are recited in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a front elevation, partly in section, showing my improvement-s embodied in a refrigerator having two sets of compartments Figure 2 is a plan view, broken away and Figure 3 is a vertical section on lines 3-3 of Figure l.

As illustrated, the invention is of only limited capacity but it will be understood that additional sets of compartment-s may be added to any desired extent so that arefrigerator or ice chest of any capacity may be obtained. In expanding the capacity of the refrigerator it is only necessary to add to the right hand end, Figures 1 and 2, as many more sections or sets of compartments as may be desired and to connect them with the air duct or trunk leading from the ice.

a glass top 3 and, if desired, the receptacle 4 for the ice may have a glass top 5. The top 5 will be arranged to open for the introduction of ice into the compartment 45.

All of the upper compartments 1 are separated from each other by branch air ducts 6 which lead off from a main air duct or conduit 7. Thus, each compartment- 1 has three of its sides, to wit: two sides and its bottom, subject to cold air. The tops of the compartments 2 are exposed to the cooling action of the air flowing through the conduit 7 although they are not in communication with said conduit.

Each side or wall of each compartment 1 has pivoted or other suitable valves 8 which are normally closed either by gravital or spring action, the former arrangement ei g shown. 1b9,

Mounted in the compartments 1 are crank shaped or bail shaped operating devices 10 which are normally held in raised position by springs 11. These bail shaped devices extend through the sides of the compartments and are provided with arms 12 which are adapted to wipe against flanges 13 on the doors 8 when the bails 10 are depressed.

Normally, the bails are in the raised positions shown in Figure 1 and the doors 8 are closed. lVhen the food or perishable articles which are to be kept cool are placed in a compartment 1 the weight of the container, plate, or other device carrying the food resting on the bail 10, depresses the latter against the action of the spring 11 and causes the arms 12 to open the doors 8 of that compartment for the purpose of admitting cold air to the interior of the COlIle partment. This condition prevails so long as the Weight remains on the bail 10. Immediately the food is removed the spring 11 raises the bail, depresses the arms 12, and the doors 8. then close. Thus, cold air is only admitted to those compartments 1 which require it for purposes of food preservation and this arrangement renders the maintenance of the refrigerator quite economical.

The lower compartments 2 are intended to accommodate such articles of food as vegetables, including potatoes, which do not require so low a temperature as is needed for the preservation of the more perishable articles, such as butter, eggs, meats, etc, which should be kept in the upper chain bers 1.

The bottoms of the compartments 2 are of perforated or slotted metal as shown at 14 so that foreign material such as dirt, may fall through.

Beneath the compartments 2 are independent drawers 15 which are arranged to be pulled out to afford access to the dirt The doors are hinged or droppings from the food in the compartments 2. The perforated bottom 14 permits the dirt to fall into the drawers 15 and thus to keep the compartments 2 in a sanitary condition.

Independent doors 16 afford access to the compartments 2 for the introduction of the food therein or for removal, if desired. The fronts of the compartments 2 are of metal and perforated as shown at 17. The bottoms 14 are extended out beyond the fronts 17 as indicated at 18,. Swinging doors 19 are provided past which the con? tents of the bin or chamber 2 will flow or roll to a certain extent and out onto the platforms 18, due to the inclination of the bottoms 14. This provides for automatic feed of a limited amount of the potatoes or other vegetables for purposes of sale to customers who only require small amounts. Large amounts can be obtained by opening the doors 16.

Partitions 20 separate the platforms 18 so that the different kinds of vegetables in the different compartments will not mix.

On raising the top 3 access can be had to any or all of the upper compartments 2.

hat I claim is:

1. In a refrigerator, the combination with a food holding compartment having a normally closed closure adapted to admit cold air to the interior thereof, of means automatically operated by the introduction of an article into said compartment adapted for opening said closure so that cold air will thereupon be admitted into the compartment.

2. In a refrigerator, the combination with a compartment having an opening for the admission of cold air to the interior thereof, of a spring closure normally adapted to close said opening and provided with an actuating device arranged to be operated when an article is introduced into said compartment, and to be released when the article is removed from the compartment, whereby said closure is automatically opened to admit cold air into the interior of the compartment when an article is introduced into the compartment, and said closure is automatically closed to cut off the entry of the cold air into the compartment when the compartment is empty.

In a refrigerator, the combination with a con'ipartment having an opening through which cold air may be admitted to its interior, of a self-closing valve or door for said opening, andv a spring operated bail or trigger adapted to cooperate Withsaid door and arranged to be operated by an article introduced within the compartment to thereby open the door, said bail or trigger being released and actuated by its spring when it is not subject to the weight of an article contained within the compartment.

4. In a refrigerator, the combination with a plurality of food containing compartments, of a main or trunk conduit for conducting cold air to said compartments, said compartments being separated from each other by branch air ducts communicating with the trunk conduit, closures for said compartments which control the admission of cold air from the branch ducts into the interior of said compartments, and means for each compartment, operable by an article 10 which may be placed within the compartment, adapted for operating the closure for the given compartment.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

anon; o. WILLIAMS. 

